Affidavit No. 2999/2006

Sworn Statement

After having been warned to tell the truth and nothing but the truth or else I shall be subjected to penal action, I the undersigned, 'Abd-al-Rahman Fayyad Khalil Hirbawi, holder of ID # 982115446, Palestinian nationality, born on 18 October 1955, owner of a grocery, a resident of Hebron, Hebron Governorate, would like to declare the following:

I have a family consisting of 10 people. My house is located in Hebron, at the west entrance of the Kiryat Arba' settlement. Because of the location of my house, my family members and I are subjected, from time to time, to assaults by Israeli settlers and soldiers. I have submitted several complaints in this regard.

On 28 April 2006, at about 5:00 pm, while I was working with my sons in our garden, removing the grass and thorns from the garden and from around our home, three settlement security men barged into our garden and started fighting, with their hands, with my wife and son and me. My wife was inside the house but, hearing our son fighting with the settlers, she went out to see what was happening. My wife asked one of them what they wanted and they said that we had been stealing the barbed wire of the settlement. This was not true. They just wanted to accuse us so that we would stop working in our garden and on our land. Basically, they do not want us to stay in our house; they want to seize it.

I asked them, "Where is the wire that we took?" It is well known that the wire from the settlement is large and strongly attached and that it is not possible for us to remove it. A quarrel took place between us and the settlers during which the security men of the settlement assaulted us and we started yelling and shouting. Meanwhile, an Israeli police car passed by and stopped near to where this was happening. Four policemen got out and stopped the assault. We told the policemen what had happened and, besides, they had witnessed part of the attack against us. But the settlement’s security men and the settlement’s gate watchman reported that we were going to steal the settlement’s mesh.

Accordingly, my son Fadi (16 years old) and I were arrested and taken to the police premises. We gave our testimony and the settlement security men gave their testimony. As a result, my son and I were put in custody until each one of us paid 500 shekels. I refused to pay the fine required from me and from my son because I refused to be accused of something I had not done. But in the end, at 9:00 pm, I paid 1000 shekels that my wife borrowed from our neighbours and friends, and so my son and I were released.

On the same day, and after the police arrested both of us, the Israeli soldiers attacked my home and a fight took place between them and my wife Ghada Talab al-Hirbawi (44 years old) and my son Walid (24 years old). As a result of the fight, the soldiers arrested my son Walid and detained him in 'Atsyon detention centre for eight days, but he was then released without trial or bail. I am going to be tried on 27 June 2006 in 'Ofar court and I do not know what the ruling will be. It is worth mentioning that I cannot hire a lawyer to defend me and my son due to lack of money.

This is my declaration and hereby I sign, 16 May 2006Signature: 'Abd-al-Rahman Fayyad